Jade
by Angrylittleprincess1854
Summary: After graduation, Beca moves to LA to become a DJ or music producer. A few months in the city and she hasn't really become as successful as she had expected. That all changes when she's asked to DJ at a big club opening. While there, she reunites with Chloe in the most unexpected way.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first ever fic, so I would greatly appreciate it if you guys reviewed. Also, a heads up. This chapter is all about backstory. The next chapter gets more into the plot, I promise.**

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It was a few months after graduation and Beca still hadn't really found her way. LA was a lot more daunting than she had expected. Sure, she had Jesse there to help her when she felt overwhelmed, but she couldn't rely on him too much, she needed to find her own way. The internship at the record label near Barden had been great experience, but it didn't really matter when she got to LA. Since she arrived, she had taken small jobs as DJs for little parties, none that mattered. She was still making her own tracks, and was trying more of what she had learned from the producer internship- trying to make new things, not just dubstep mashups. Since graduating, she had come up with two original pieces, thanks to her favorite freshman, Emily. However, she couldn't get anyone to do anything with these works. No one was interested in taking her in as a producer or even sign her under a label. But Beca refused to give up. She had wanted this for many years, and now she was close, she knew that. She just needed a break through. The right party, the right people, or the right track. She just needed one of these things and then all her dreams would come true.

Jesse on the other hand, was doing great things. He wasn't scoring movies like he wanted, but he was working on soundtracks for video games. It was great experience for him. He was working with all the things and types of people he had wanted. Yeah it wasn't movies and he wasn't bringing people to tears, but he was on his way. And he was still bringing emotion to the viewers/players. He could make something more intense, scarier, or more sad in the case of a backstory. His success is why he tried so hard to help Beca. He couldn't stand to see her not making her dreams come true. She was so talented and passionate, _why was she not successful yet?_ he thought.

After the World Championship and a few weeks in LA, Beca and Jesse decided to call it quits on their relationship. It was a mutual breakup, so they said, but it was really Beca more so breaking up with Jesse. She couldn't stand how clingy he would get sometimes. Jesse agreed to break up mostly because he wanted to focus on his career, which is what he told himself and Beca, but really he was heartbroken about the whole thing. They remained very close friends, though. So close that they even went to each other with relationship issues. In fact, Jesse was the first person Beca told of her newly discovered sexuality. After her encounters with Kommissar, she really started to question everything. Then, in LA, when she was around so many beautiful women, she realized that she was in fact bisexual. Realizing that was a huge weight off her shoulders. She had been attracted to many women in the past, but just assumed that was normal.

Beca's relationship with the other Bellas sadly became almost nonexistent. She would occasionally talk to Cynthia Rose or Stacie, but it was very seldom. Fat Amy would reach out every once in a while with some crazy story or an invite to a weird party, but there was never any real conversation between the two. The one Bella that Beca remained closest to was Chloe, of course. Although, even that relationship had dwindled. Chloe knew that Beca was in LA. Chloe was only about an hour away in Santa Barbra. She was working as a performer. Somehow, though, the two hadn't managed to meet up in Cali since they moved. Part of the reason for that may be because Chloe had just moved to Santa Barbara a few weeks ago. After graduation, Chloe still didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. At the group camp outing with Aubrey, she said that she would maybe wither want to teach underprivileged kids how to sing or become an exotic dancer. It amazed Beca that after seven years of college, the girl still didn't know what she wanted to do. But that was Chloe. She was spontaneous. She sometimes had a plan, but it could always be changed. The fact that Chloe was performing for a living made Beca so happy. She knew how much that redhead liked to be singing and dancing live for an audience. Beca was happy for Chloe. She was happy for Jesse. Everyone seemed to be doing well but her, or so she thought.

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 **A/N: Again, I'd love if you guys reviewed. I would love feedback, constrictive or otherwise. I want to get better at this. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows guys! I'm glad you like it so far. This chapter gets more into the story, like I promised. I hope you enjoy!**

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One night Beca was DJing for some lame-ass's party. She was playing some of her basic stuff, the mashups she had worked on for years. She also threw in the Flashlight mix and one other new one. She was hoping to grab the attention of the audience, like a DJ is supposed to do. However, these teens were too stoned to notice anything. She really shouldn't have been trying to woe these kids, what did they know about good music? When the party was over, she packed her stuff up and was leaving when someone stopped her. He was middle-aged and balding. He had on a nice suit, though, and some designer glasses.

"Hello, I'm Rick. My son was at this party and while I was waiting to pick him up and take him home—

 _Oh jesus,_ Beca thought, _these kids are young enough to have their parents drive them around? Why am I stuck with these shitty jobs? Why me?_

The guy continued while Beca was giving herself a self-hate talk, "I heard your music. You've got some great mixes there."

Beca snapped out of her pity party and looked up. "Oh really? You think so? Thank you." She kind of blushed, but she quickly stopped. Blushing wasn't a hardcore, badass thing to do. She had to maintain her image.

"Yeah. You're really creative. Do you DJ for parties often?"

Beca wanted to roll her eyes so badly ( _Why would I be DJing for some puberty-stricken kids if I was a regular at this?_ she thought), but she stopped herself, this guy could be getting somewhere. "Uh, I do occasionally. I've only just moved here a few months ago. Haven't really got both feet on the ground yet." She tried to seem laissez faire about her whole situation, but she was truly troubled by her lack of success.

"Well I happen to be a part-owner of a few clubs. And my associates and I are getting ready to unveil a new nightspot downtown. Maybe you'd like to DJ the grand opening party? It's a pretty exclusive deal, people have been trying to get on the list for months. Lots of big-wigs will be there. Are you interested?"

 _Uh, fuck yeah!_ Beca thought. "Yeah that sounds great! When and where is it? And if you don't mind my asking, how much does this event pay?"

The man grinned. "Here's my business card. Give me a call by Wednesday and we can discuss the details. Right now I have to get my son back home." The man gave Beca a business card. Rick Bradley. _Now this is something_ , Beca was thinking and grinning to herself as she read over the card a few times.

When she got back to her apartment, she quickly gave Jesse a call.

"Man, you wont believe what happened tonight!" She was so excited she couldn't even contain it. Her cool and calm act faded away. This was exciting shit, there was no need to act bad ass now.

"What happened?" Jesse asked in a kind of tone an uninterested mother uses to their easily amused child.

"At this lame ass party I was DJing for, this kid's dad came up to me and offered me a job DJing for the grand opening of some super dope new club!" The words came out of Beca's mouth so quickly, Jesse had to take a minute to process it all.

"So wait, this random guy wants you to DJ for a new club? How did he even hear your stuff?"

"He was waiting outside for the party to be over to take his kid home-" Jesse the interrupted with a laugh.

"You were DJing for a bunch of pre-driving kids? That's hilarious."

"Knock it off. I have to take any job I can get. Anyway, he heard my mixes and just offered me the job."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Well, that's awesome. I'm happy for you, Becs."

"I am too. Hopefully this'll be it for me. I don't even know how much it pays, but I don't really care."

"Oh, I'm sure you care."

"You're right, I kinda do care." Beca, at this point, was too excited to keep talking, she wanted to do something. She said goodnight to Jesse and then hung up. She wanted to work on a few mixes now that she had somewhere to play them. Somewhere where people would actually listen.

She desperately wanted to call that Rick guy, but he said by Wednesday. Since it was only Saturday, she figured he'd need to work out the details with his associates. So, she'd wait. Plus, she didn't want to seem too desperate. After all, he thinks she's more successful than she is.

After working on her laptop for some time, she decided it was time to call it quits and go to sleep. As she was laying in bed, Beca thought about Chloe. She didn't really know why, they hadn't talked in a few days. But for some reason, Chloe popped in her head. She thought about maybe shooting her a text about the good news, but it would just kinda seem like bragging, especially since they hadn't talked much. _Maybe I'll just call her tomorrow and we can catch up,_ she thought. And then, happy with that idea, she decided to drift off to sleep.

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 **A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. If you did, please review. Even if you didn't, review as well so I know what to fix for chapter 3 and so on. Thank you guys so much!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again, guys for the reviews. I really appreciate it. This chapter is a bit longer and actually has some Chloe/Beca interaction. I hope you enjoy!**

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Beca woke up around noon the next day. Noon was her usual wakeup time. Anything earlier and she was pretty much a grump all day. Noon was safe for her. When she woke up, she immediately made a pot of coffee, and sat down sipping a cup as she checked her social media. Nothing really big was happening. She did see, though, that Amy and Bumper were still together, which made her smile.

She thought about last night and her big news, and decided to do a little research on her savior. After Jesse's subtle, but noticeable speculation, she thought maybe she was being duped. She looked up Rick Bradley and added LA after it to narrow the search. The results threw Beca back a bit. This guy was surprisingly legit. He owned several bars and clubs in the LA area, a few of which were huge hits. There were pictures of the Kardashians at one of his clubs. This made Beca ecstatic.

After she finished her coffee, she decided to give Chloe a call like she told herself she would before going to sleep. Beca had to plan out what she was going to say, though. She took a few minutes and roughly outlined a script in her mind. Then she dialed.

"Hey, Becs! Haven't talked to you in a while! How are you?" Chloe sounded so happy to be talking to Beca.

"I'm doing better, actually. How are things with you?" She decided to wait to get into the news, still not wanting to make the call seem all about her.

"I'm doing great. I've been doing performances every weekend since I've been here. I'm really getting the hang of being here, better than I thought." For some reason, Chloe became distracted. She wasn't as chipper as when she answered the phone. "So how's the DJ business going?"

This is what Beca was waiting for. She was so excited to tell Chloe. "I, uh, actually got a big gig coming up."

"What?! Really? That's exciting! Who's it for? When is it? How'd this happen?" Chloe was readily firing questions at Beca. Her energy surely was back.

"I know, I'm pretty stoked about it. This guy came up to me at the last party I was DJing for." She decided to leave out the fact that she was DJing for a bunch of kids. She figured it'd take away from the excitement. "And he said he really liked my mixes. He wants me to Dj for the opening night of his newest club. He handed me his card and told me to call for the details. I looked him up this morning before I called you, and he owns several clubs here in LA, many of which are successful, actually."

"Oh my god, Beca, that is so cool! I'm so happy for you! So did you call him?"

"No, not yet. I figure he has to work out some details with his co-owners first. I'll probably call him in a few days."

"That seems smart, good thinking, Becs. When you get the details, give me a call or shoot me a text. Maybe I can find a way to get in and come see you perform!" Beca could see Chloe's smile. She knew exactly what she looked like on the other line, and that face was making Beca smile, too and she couldn't help it.

"Yeah, I'll definitely do that. So is anything else going on with you? Have you talked to any of the other Bellas in a while? I saw Amy and Bumper on Instagram this morning. I was glad to see things were still going well between them."

"I mean, I obviously still talk to Aubrey, but that's not new news. I talked to Emily a bit, too. She is trying to get stuff together for managing auditions all by herself for this year. She's pretty nervous about it. I remember doing all that stuff with Aubrey and that was so stressful, and I barely even did anything. Aubrey did it all. I can't imagine having to do it all myself. Other than that, I haven't really spoken to anyone else."

"Oh man, that seems pretty sucky. Maybe we can video call her and try and help her get stuff situated. She's helped me a lot with my tracks, I kinda want help her out now."

Chloe took a little pause. Beca knew that meant that Chloe was smirking on the other line. Anytime Beca showed that she cared for anyone, Chloe let out a little smile. She knew it was because Beca liked to act like she was all tough and mighty, but deep down, Chloe knew Beca was sweet and she cared. Beca hated that Chloe knew her like that.

Eventually, though, Chloe started talking. "Yeah, that's a good idea, Becs. Good thinkin'."

Beca rolled her eyes. The conversation lulled for a second, neither of them really having anything else to say. T _his is probably why we never talk_ , Beca thought. Beca then heard Chloe click her tongue and making a low "umm" sound like she was thinking about something.

"So, you meet any guys yet in LA? I mean, now that you and Jesse broke up. Unless you aren't really ready to date yet, which I totally understand." Chloe talked very quickly, and almost sort of rambling, as if she were trying to make up for the lapse in conversation.

"Uh, not really. I've kinda just kept to myself actually, which I'm sure surprises you." Beca kinda chuckled at her own comment.

She knew she was an introvert, she had opened up around the Bellas, but that's because she cared about them and was around them all the time. It really took her a while to open up to other people. She had to know them for a while first. She had definitely tried working on it though, especially after her fallout with the Bellas her freshman year. But, like she told Chloe, there was really no advancement in the relationship area. She wasn't quite ready to take that whole trek again. She was free from being in a relationship. She didn't have to care about someone else's feelings. That made her feel more at ease, especially since she hadn't been doing so well in her own life.

Chloe laughed a little at Beca's comment as well. "You're right, that's a total shocker. Well, I'm sure you'll eventually find someone." Chloe's tone took a turn at that last part. It was almost like she was reading it off something. She seemed dry and monotonous about it, clearly not smiling anymore.

"Yeah, maybe. But I'm not sure I'm really looking for that anyway. So what about you, Chlo? You find anybody? Maybe a fellow dancer?"

"Nope. No one on my end either." She seemed to perk back up.

"That's surprising to me actually. I'd figure you'd be hooking up in public showers with at least two guys by now. How long you been there? Three weeks? And still nothing. I'm surprised at you, Chloe Beale." Beca was teasing, that was evident. She loved to give Chloe a hard time about the incident in the shower.

"Oh hush up, Mitchell. Anyway, I got to get going. I have to go rehearse for my next show."

"Can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. I get it." Beca was enjoying teasing her friend far too much. She didn't want her to go.

"I am so done with you." Chloe knew that Beca was just messing around, so she played back.

"You know you're not."

"Whatever, bye."

Chloe hung up the phone. But she couldn't help but look at her phone and smile for a few seconds. Chloe was happy she and Beca were going back and forth like this again. Like there was no time that had passed. Chloe definitely missed seeing Beca everyday, probably more so than the other Bellas, and she didn't really know why. Maybe it was because of their intense chemistry as friends. Or maybe it was because for four years, Chloe had the biggest crush on Beca.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading. And again, if you could leave a review, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter. Sorry this one is a little late. I had writer's block (it kinda followed me into the chapter) and I am on vacation. Because of my vacation, the next few chapters might come out a little more slowly. Sorry about that, guys. But again, I hope you enjoy!**

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After hanging up with Chloe, Beca decided to shoot Emily a text and ask her how things were going with auditions. She knew they weren't going well, but she decided to let Emily tell her that. A few minutes of mindlessly scrolling through her phone, Beca received a response from Emily.

"Hey, Beca! Things are going… ok here. It's kinda stressful trying to put everything together. But Benji has been visiting me and trying to help. He's really been really sweet about all this stuff."

Beca didn't really expect that kind of response from her. She figured that Emily was probably losing her marbles after the way Chloe described her situation. But Beca had forgotten about Benji, kind of. And the fact that he was there with Emily really made Beca happy. She liked the two of them together. Beca was close with Benji through association of Jesse and she really grew to like his awkward adorableness. And Emily was the same way. She said things that normal people probably wouldn't say, and that made her especially likable in Beca's eyes. The fact that the two were just so weird is what made them a cute couple.

Beca thought about a response and just simply typed out, "That's good. Just call if you need any help." She wasn't really the one to help with those sort of things, and she had just realized that. When she mentioned it earlier, she was more so hoping that Chloe would be the one to offer the assistance, so Beca could seem caring without really having to lift a finger.

After not getting a response from Emily, Beca decided to shower and get dressed. She figured she might as well leave the house and do something since she has nothing to do. When she was all ready, she headed out to a local coffee shop. She ordered a black coffee and sat down at a table in the corner and pulled out her headphones and laptop.

Yes, she was one of those people. She would sit in a coffee shop for up to two hours, lost in her mashups. Only when a barista would ask her about a refill or how long she's planning on staying would Beca realize that she had been sitting there for way too long and leave. So thats what she was going to do. She pulled up her software and just began mixing songs together. She started with Beyonce's "Flawless" and weaved Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" in with it. It started out pretty cool, but then she needed one more song to really bring it together. She tried to think of something, but for some reason she was blocked. While she was sitting there, trying to think of a song, she saw her phone light up. It was a text from Chloe.

"Hey, don't forget to text me the details of your big party. I wanna come see you perform." Beca smiled at the sight of the text. She began to picture Chloe at the club, watching her with that same smile she gave her when she auditioned for the Bellas back when she was just an insecure freshman. She loved that smile. It made her feel like Chloe was caring, cheering her on. Like she knew what Beca was capable of and when she performed to that capability, Chloe felt Beca's accomplishment almost as if they were her own.

Thinking about Chloe at the club, she thought about all the times they went out together, either as friends or in a group as the Bellas. They went to countless clubs and bars. They liked (well rather Chloe liked and Beca followed) to do a sort of a bar crawl when they went to new cities for competitions or for their tour of the US after being ICCA champions. They almost always had a really good time. When it wasn't a good time, it was usually because either Chloe would find some random dude to hook up with and sort of leave Beca, Chloe was usually hammered in these situations. Or it would be because Jesse was being very needy and wasn't liking the idea of Beca being out at bars in a strange city, even though _she could handle her damn self_ , she would think to say to him.

When they went out, Chloe often got much more drunk than Beca did. Beca didn't really mind having to be the responsible one out of the two of them. She actually thought it was kind of funny to see Chloe like that. She was all chatty and friendly. And her dancing was the best part. The typically well-choreographed and clean dancer, became an animal on the dance floor. She barely had rhythm, and when she did, she danced so dirtily that Beca couldn't help but pull her off of some people. However, whenever Chloe was dancing like that on Beca, she couldn't manage to push her away. She liked Chloe like that. She was a free spirit.

The best of these nights were when they found a karaoke bar. A karaoke bar to Chloe what a Chuck E. Cheese's is to a little kid. She would run inside, super excited and she could spend hours there. She didn't even have to be singing to have fun. Chloe just loved watching people perform. She loved the ones that really knew what they were doing, like her, she loved the people that were so drunk they couldn't even read the words off the screen, and she loved the tone deaf people that thought they were doing so well, but were utterly failing. The whole experience was something amazing to Chloe. Beca, on the other hand, didn't really care about them. _I spend all day singing and dancing at Bellas rehearsals, why do I have to do the same thing here?_ She would think when Chloe offered up the idea. But the fact that they made Chloe so happy was the only reason Beca dragged her ass into those bars.

When it was Chloe's turn to sing, she would always choose the same song. "Gangster"s Paradise" by Coolio. That, for some reason, was a blast for Chloe to sing. It wasn't the ballad-type that would be assumed of Chloe. It was a loose, relaxed rap song that she just had so much fun singing. She didn't even have to be drunk to perform it, although it did make the performance more enjoyable, Beca thought.

"That's it!" Beca said out loud in the coffee shop, breaking her reverie of Chloe in bars. A few people looked around at her, probably judging her for her outburst. But Beca didn't care. She had thought of the perfect song to add to her mashup. No more mixer's block. She was going to add "Gangster's Paradise" into her mix of "Flawless" and "Shake it Off". After she thought of that song and finished that mashup, the flow of new songs and mixes was unstoppable. She went on for a while, longer than her usually coffee shop stay. And she finished about three mixes by the time a barista came up to her. Beca was proud of the progress she had made. And it was all thanks to her inspiration- Chloe.

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 **A/N: Again, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully my writer's block didn't make it sucky. Please leave a review. Thanks so much for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So sorry that this is super late. Again, it was writer's block, lack of motivaton, and vacation. But I am home now, have a few ideas, and actually want to get this story moving. Thanks again for all the kind words about the last few chapters. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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Beca just kind of sat around for a few days, not really having anything to do, nowhere to go. She wanted to hang out with Jesse, and she did briefly for one night, but he was really busy with a big project at work. So she let him be. Beca made a few mixes for the party she would be DJing for, but after exhausting all the possible ideas in her head, she decided to take a break from that for a while too.

One night, she FaceTimed Emily, just to make sure all of her Bellas stuff was going well. It wasn't. But Beca didn't really have much advice, so they just talked. They talked about Barden and the auditioning Bellas. Emily had a few stories of some really weird auditions that made Beca laugh, and kinda miss the whole process. They talked a little bit about Benji and their relationship. Things were actually going really well for them. Benji was an entertainer (magician) around the area, going from event to event and performing his magic. He also performed a few times, musically, not magically. Beca was really happy to hear that they were doing so well, she thought they were adorable together. They talked for a little while longer, but then Emily got tired and said bye. Beca never really mentioned to Emily her party she was doing. For some reason, she just felt like she didn't need to share it, which was weird.

Tuesday night, Beca decided to call up Chloe again. After trying her twice without answer, she gave up. She figured Chloe was doing a show. While Beca was watching some dumb reality show, though, Chloe called her back.

"Hey, Becs! Sorry I missed your call, I was on a run." Beca looked at the time, it was 11 at night.

"Why were you running so late?"

"Oh I just had some stuff on my mind that I wanted to clear up. Don't like going to bed with so many thoughts." Chloe seemed very casual about it.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Beca didn't really like the whole emotional girl-talk, but if her friend was struggling with something, she wanted to try and be there to help her.

"Nah. It's nothing. The run helped. I'm all cured!" Chloe said in her high-pitched happy voice.

"Alright, well if you ever wanna talk about something without having to kill yourself with god awful cardio, you can always call me."

"Look at you, Mitchell, being all caring and stuff. How adorable." Beca could see that grin again.

"God, why do I even try?" Beca rolled her eyes, but was smiling the whole time.

"Because you love me." Chloe heart picked up a little at that.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night, Beale."

"So, why are you calling? Just wanted to hear my voice or do you have some more news on the DJing thing?" Chloe enjoyed the back and forth, but sometimes it became almost flirtatious. When that happened, as much as she enjoyed it, she tried to back off. Sure, she didn't really have a crush on Beca anymore, mostly because they never saw each other, but she used to. And talking like that was kind of like teasing the red head.

"Uh, I actually don't know why I called. I guess your sarcastic guess was right. Just wanted to hear your voice." Beca thought about why she called her, she really didn't know why she did it. She figured it was because she was bored. Her only friend she ever saw or hung out with was Jesse and he was busy, so she needed someone to talk to.

"Aw, you're so sweet, Bec." Chloe was being sarcastic, of course.

"I know I am."

For a minute, neither of them really said anything. This was the second time this had happened. Beca didn't like it. Conversation with her best friend used to be so much easier. It used to come naturally. Now she felt like she had to work for it. Beca thought maybe if they hung out, things would go back to normal. So she gave it a go. "Hey, what are you doing on Thursday?"

"Uh, I'm not really sure. Why?" Chloe was not expecting the conversation to pick back up like that. She loved Beca, as a friend, but she didn't really feel like seeing her. Chloe had a lot on her plate, and she couldn't get into any of it with Beca. It wasn't that she didn't trust Beca, it was more like she just didn't want her to know about her issues. She didn't want to burden the brunette. Beca wasn't a sharer, she wasn't a very open person. Sure, she had her moments, but Beca liked things to be easy. No gooey emotions, if at all possible. So the fact that Chloe had a lot to deal with kind of made her want to stay away from Beca, as much as she hated to admit that. However, when Beca asked if they want to meet up and go out, despite all prior excuses and reasoning Chloe had given herself to say no, she couldn't help but excitedly accept the offer.

"Great! I haven't seen you in what feels like forever. We could meet up halfway, if that sounds good?"

"Yeah sure! I think Malibu might be right about halfway, if you wanna meet there. I'm sure we could find plenty to do there." Chloe was so happy that she'd actually be seeing Beca, that she actually forgot about all her apprehension.

"Malibu sounds great. So Thursday in Malibu. How about we meet for lunch/a late dinner and then go out?" Beca, not usually a planner, was pretty set to make this time fun. She wanted her reunion with Chloe to be something special. After all, she hadn't seen the ginger in _so long!_ she thought.

"You've got yourself a date, Mitchell. I will see you then." Chloe, realizing her words, couldn't help but sigh. She hung up the phone after a quick goodbye and just thought to herself, _God dammit Chloe. What the hell are you getting yourself into?_

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 **A/N: I hope you all liked it! Again, reviews are appreciated. Thanks for following along with me on this story.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, so I lied in my note on the last chapter. I still don't have a ton of motivation. I will get better, though, I just have to motivate myself. Anyway, here's a new chapter. I'll try and make the next ones come a little quicker. I hope you enjoy!**

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By the time Wednesday rolled around, Beca had become impatient. Several times she wanted to pick up the phone and dial Rick Bradley's number and just figure out what was going to happen with her. The more time that passed, though, Beca started to doubt herself. _If this was such a big party, like the guy claimed it is, then why is he using some random DJ he found at a kids' party? Shouldn't he get someone experienced? Maybe he doesn't actually want me or maybe this party isn't as big and A-list as he sad it was._ She hated doubting herself, but she just couldn't help it. She didn't think that there was any chance that this could be happening to her. Yeah, the first night she found out, she was super ecstatic and happy about it, but thats because the idea was fresh in her mind. It had just happened. Her conscience didn't have time to taint what has happening yet. However, after almost 5 days of sitting, twiddling her thumbs, and waiting, Beca had time to spoil the whole concept for herself.

But of course she would never let anyone know how much she really doubted herself. Beca Mitchell was confident. That was her thing. A confident badass. In fact, like her Australian friend so eloquently pointed out, she is Beca Effin' Mitchell. Nothing was going to deter her from anything… Except maybe herself. Amy had seen Beca struggling when she was interning and trying to come up with a mix, and that was awkward. Amy did help Beca get over her slump, but having one of her friends seeing her not confident and not knowing what to do kind of embarrassed Beca. That's why when Beca was freaking out about this new DJ gig, she didn't share those thoughts with anyone. Jesse and Chloe kept asking for the details (even though they both knew that she wouldn't have them until at least Wednesday), but Beca just quickly changed the subject.

On Wednesday, though, it was finally time for Beca to call the owner of the club. She was really nervous. She didn't want to make herself look like a fool. She didn't want her nerves to be heard, making her look unqualified and unprofessional. But she had to call the guy. She had to get the details and lay all of the nerves to rest. After all, this was Beca's big break.

After psyching her self up a bit, Beca picked up the phone and dialed the number from the business card. A few rings later, a man picked up.

"Hello, this is Rick Bradley," the man answered in a very business-y tone.

"Hi, yes, Rick. This is Beca Mitchell, the DJ you gave your card to the other night at that party your son was at." Beca was obviously nervous, her voice made that clear.

"Oh, yeah Beca! I've been waiting for your call." He didn't really sound sincere. But Beca was still confused. He had said to call Wednesday. Should she have called earlier? She had been trying to not seem desperate, but did she come off uninterested instead? Her mind was racing, not at all helping her already rampant nerves.

"You were? I'm sorry. I've been busy." A blatant lie. "I was just wondering if you had figured out the details of the party?"

"Yes, we have. I don't know what all I told you when we first met, but the party is this Saturday staring at 10. You'll be DJing the whole night. I'm not really sure until what hours of the morning we'll be open, it all depends on the turnout and the rate of the guests. The pay will be decent, somewhere in the 6 figure range, if that's enough for you. And the name of the club is Dorado, and it's located on the Sunset Strip. Is that all the information you were looking for?" The man sounded preoccupied on the last question.

Beca was trying to contain herself. _6 figures?! Of-fucking-course that's enough for me. I've been making actual shit. I'd be lucky if I made $500. Now I'm getting 6 fucking figures?! Are you fucking kidding me?_ But then her mind went negative again. _Now I know this guy has got to be fuckin' with me. There's no way he hires a girl at a 6 figure rate when he's heard like two songs played at a teenager's party. No way._

"Uh, actually, I was just wondering why you chose me? Like if this is such a big deal of a party and such an exclusive night, why didn't you pick someone known and liked? Like Tiesto or someone?" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she immediately regretted them. _This was not how you impress your employer_ , she thought.

"To be honest, my associates actually almost turned down the idea of hiring you as our DJ. But I convinced them. You see, this is a new club. It's a new feel, new atmosphere, and relatively new guests. So why would we add the same old music that we had heard before? I heard a few of your mixes last weekend and thought your style was fresh, it was inventive, it was exactly what I pictured in our club. Sure, everyone loves Tiesto or Skrillex, but we aren't going for predictable. We are going for creative."

Beca's nerves almost completely subsided. She loved hearing those words. To be compared to Tiesto and Skrillex and being called more creative than them made Beca ecstatic. She set all of her doubts aside. There was just one more thing on her mind, her friends. She had to share this experience with them, especially now that she knew it was for real. And, not to mention, she had already basically told hem they could go, without actually asking.

"One more thing." Beca kinda paused, seeing if Rick was going to give her some acknowledgment to continue. He didn't. "Is there anyway, and I know you already said this was really exclusive, but is it possible that I can get a few of my friends' names on the list?" She wanted to add more, maybe explain their importance to her or something like that, but she figured that would sound like she was begging. So she just let the question hang there, somewhat patiently awaiting an answer.

"I, uh, I don't think that will be a problem. I'm sure I can squeeze a couple friends on there. What are there names? I'll add them today." At first Rick seemed apprehensive, but he complied, figuring who's it gonna hurt?

"Jesse Swanson and Chloe Beale. Thank you so much. For everything." Rick simply said "You're welcome" and hung up the phone.

Beca was elated. Not only would she be playing at a huge club opening on the Sunset Strip and making $100,000 or more, but she would be sharing the night with two of her best friends. Things were looking up for the little alt girl. She couldn't believe how well everything was going. The doubts were all out of her head and she was ready to rock it come Saturday.

 _Oh shit_ , she thought. _I have like 4 days to prepare hours worth of mixes!_ So she quickly went to work on her computer, almost forgetting to share the news with Jesse and Chloe.

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 **A/N: Next chapter is going to set up a little more of the plot we all really care about, Beca and Chloe! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And if you did (or didn't) please review, I always appreciate the feedback.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N** : So, I have been MIA for like 6 months, I know. I lost motivation completely and totally forgot about this story until I got bored. I apologize sincerely. And since I was so late, I decided to make this chapter longer than the previous ones. Hopefully you like it. :) Again, I am sorry for not posting in forever.

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From her desk and computer, Beca excitedly picked up the phone and pressed Jesse's contact information. Jesse had changed his name in Beca's phone to "Aca God" and took a horrifyingly embarrassing selfie for the caller ID picture. _Could I really expect any less from the weirdo?_ Beca loved it, even though it was kind of awkward for her when he called while she was in public and people saw the name or the picture. Or even worse, heard the anthem to the 80s classic movie, The Breakfast Club. She felt like that ringtone made her look like one of those hipster-poser types and she hated it. But she also loved it because it's what Jesse had chosen and she wasn't going to change it.

When she pressed his scrunched and awkward face icon, she was already kind of smiling when he answered. "Hey, there Becs! I'm a little busy at the moment. Y'know, the whole big game release and everything." He sounded distant. Not space-wise, but in a detached and busy sense, which was understandable. He was pretty occupied and had been for a solid week.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. It's just that-" _Maybe I shouldn't have called. I'm sure I could have just texted him the information. But he's my best friend. I want to share this exciting news with him. Can't he just take a break for a second? No, he's got his thing and he's gotten to talk to me about it a lot and he's been successful and I haven't. Now it's my turn to share my success and he can listen. Or does that sound selfish? God I hate when I get like this._ Beca internally argued with herself, just leaving Jesse hanging mid sentence on the other line.

"Becs?" Jesse seemed a little concerned. He thought maybe something had happened. "What did you want to tell me? I can put my work aside."

"No, it's not a big deal. You do your work. I can catch you later." She was audibly upset and only an idiot wouldn't be able to catch it. Luckily, Jesse wasn't that much of an idiot.

"Obviously it's something important. Beca, don't worry about my work. I can always make time for you, you know that."

 _Hasn't really seemed like it lately_ , she thought. "Okay. Well then, buckle up, this is some pretty big news." Her mood suddenly changed. She was happy again.

"Oh?" Jesse chuckled lightly at his goofball friend.

"Yeah. So, I called the guy with the club today and-"

"Really? That's awesome! What did he say?" Jesse excitedly interrupted.

"I was just getting there, actually. But thank you for introducing it." Beca said sarcastically. Jesse lightly mumbled an apology and Beca just laughed and continued. "Okay first off, the opening is this Saturday at this club called Dorado on the- get this- Sunset Strip." The words rolled out of Beca's mouth so quickly and said with such excitement that she seemed like a child whose parents had just told her they were getting a puppy.

"Sunset Strip… Sunset Strip? Sunset Strip!" Jesse took a while to figure out, but once he did he was so congratulatory toward Beca. "Dude, that's freaking amazing! Every club there is like huge. So many people will be there to hear your stuff."

"I know! I can't believe it. And that's not even the best part. I'm getting paid six. fucking. figures! Like holy shit, that's more than like 10 times what I've made at all my other gigs combined."

"SIX FIGURES? FOR ONE GIG? Fuck, man! Maybe I should've taken up DJing."

"Oh please, you know you wouldn't be nearly as good as me. You stick to pumping up teenagers and I'll take care of the rich and famous."

"I see how it is now. You get one good gig and you're the queen now, better than everyone. I get it. Just know that I am hurt, Mitchell. Just don't forget me when you're doing Kim K's billionth wedding, okay?" Jesse was happy for Beca's success. He hated not seeing her achieve her goals. But because Beca doesn't do the typical emotions, he had to show his happiness for her with sarcastic jokes, the way Beca usually does.

"Jesse who?"

"Oh whatever, Becs. Even if you forget me, just know that I'll be at all your shows, cheering on my girl. When you hear a 'BECAW', it'll be me. Unless some groupie asshole tries to steal my signature nickname for you."

"I really hope you're still joking. How the hell would I forget you? Plus, Becaw is an awful nickname. No one would steal it." When Beca actually started to feel all mushy because of Jesse's words, she had to quickly change gears. Jesse meant a lot to her, _he had to know that, right?_

"You know I am. You would never forget the one that got away. Isn't that how the rom-coms go?"

"Really? You're asking me? I've seen a total of 2 'rom-coms'." An eye roll took over as Beca heard herself say rom-com. "Plus, who said you're the one that got away? We broke up happily. There was no 'getting away'."

"Well, I'm gonna get away now. I've got a shit ton of work to do, so I've got to go. But I'm really happy and proud of you. I'm assuming you got me into this club, so I'll see you Saturday."

"Wow. You just assume I want you to come? How cocky." Beca was grinning. She loved this banter, not as much as she did with Chloe, but she still liked it. "But yeah, you and Chloe are on the list. I'll see you Saturday. Have fun pumping up those teenagers." She couldn't help but laugh at her own jab. Jesse let out a little chuckle and a quick goodbye and she hung up.

Beca was feeling such a high after her conversation with Jesse. She as just so happy and nothing was going to bring her down. Everything was going well for once. _Finally_ , she thought. To keep the high going, Beca decided to call Chloe. She wanted to share the newest details and she wanted to talk about them hanging out tomorrow— another thing that was making Beca feel like she was on top of the world.

"Hello, you've reached Chloe Beale. Sorry I couldn't answer your call, but leave a message and I'll get back to you ASAP. Thank you and have a good day." Even though Chloe's voicemail was as basic as possible, it still made Beca happy to hear it every time. She could hear Chloe's smile and how much she knew she cared about whoever was calling. Although she was happy to hear Chloe's voice, she was still kinda let down that she didn't answer. But Beca was still on Cloud 9, Chloe not answering wasn't going to ruin that. So she left a quick message, hoping she's hear back from the redhead soon.

"Hey, Chlo. I got in touch with the club guy. I've got those deets now and I wanna share 'em with you. Also, we gotta figure out what we're doing and where we are meeting tomorrow. Call me back when you get a chance. Miss ya." The last bit slipped out without Beca even realizing it, but she didn't really regret it. It was true, and she was pretty positive Chloe wasn't going to think anything of it.

After feverishly working on her mixes for hours, Beca decided to take a little break and go get something to eat. She was going to go to some quiet little diner, but once she was out, she decided she just wanted Chinese takeout. She went in, ordered more than a tiny person like her could eat, and then went back to her apartment, ready to delve back into the music. When her mouth was full of Lo Mein, her phone started to ring. "Party in the USA" started to softly play from the speaker and she knew from the song that it was Chloe. She quickly swallowed and answered the phone. "Hey, I was beginning to think you died."

"It wasn't even that long. You're so impatient, you know that?" The redhead laughed just enough to be barely audible. "I got your message. So… Spill! What'd the guy say?!"

"Okay well to start, I looked the guy up and he's got clubs all around LA. Ones that are frequented by celebs like the Kardashians."

"OMG are you serious? You could totes meet Khloe! She's my favorite. If you meet Khloe you'd have to introduce me!" Chloe was going without a breath.

"Woah calm down there, psycho. I'm not meeting any of them, at least I don't think so. Not that I'd even care. They're wastes of fame."

"They are not! They are beautiful style icons. I know you'd care. You've watched some of KUWTK. You don't hate them as much as you act like." That was true. Beca didn't mind their show, but not because she liked them. She thought of the show as mindless entertainment. When she needed to take a breather from Bellas rehearsals, her own mixes, Jesse, or just life in general, she's always turn to reality TV. It was always on and it always cured her.

"I only watched that shit show cause you made me! Whatever, that is not the point of all this."

"Oh yeah, sorry. I just get excited when the Kardashians are mentioned. Go on." Chloe quickly settled down to let her best friend share.

"So when I called the guy, he said the club was opening on the Sunset Strip, which you know is huge! He also said that I'd be making major money. Well, he didn't say those words, but he said six figures, so yeah, major money."

"Holy shit! That's a lot of money! And the location is great, too! Aw, Becs, I am so proud of you! When is it? I have to be there. I hope you already asked him if I could get on the list, if not, I am coming anyway."

"Yes, I talked to him about that. You got on the list. It's Saturday night." Beca was elated at the thought of Chloe being there and watching her at her first big gig. She loved looking at Chloe while she was performing. She always had an encouraging smile, one that made Beca feel warm and like she could do anything.

There was a long pause on Chloe's end. This was a little weird to Beca. Chloe had been going at full speed since they started talking, and this part should've been just as, if not more exciting to Chloe than anything else. "Chlo…"

"Oh yeah, sorry. You said Saturday?" Beca made a little 'uh huh' sound and Chloe immediately sighed. "Dammit."

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 **A/N:** Hopefully you guys liked it! If you did, please review and give me some feedback. If you didn't, still do the same. :) I love hearing back from you guys. And I have already started the next chapter, so it won't be another 6 month dry spell.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N** : Originally for this story, I hadn't planned on Beca and Chloe meeting until the club, but I decided that would be uninteresting for the plot, so I changed it. Anyway, I hope you guys like the chapter, and as always leave a review!

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Beca was a little worried. Chloe had been so excited. Why had she suddenly stopped? "What is it? Why aren't you excited anymore?"

Chloe took a deep breath before answering, "I, uh, have a show on Saturday, too. I'm so sorry, Becs. I totally want to go and see your mad DJ skills. Damn I feel so bad." Chloe sounded like she felt bad too. Beca could see her fallen face in her mind.

"Oh. That's alright. Your show is super important, it's your career." Beca couldn't help but sound disappointed because she was. She so badly wanted Chloe to be there. She wanted to share her first bit of success with Chloe. Sure, Jesse would be there, but he was not Chloe. Suddenly, she fell off of her cloud, crashing through the 8 below her and landing hard on the ground. All of her good news, all of her happiness and excitement was suddenly washed away.

"I am so sorry. But the show is supposedly in LA, too. So maybe if mine ends before yours, I can drop by and catch the tail end of your show. What time does yours start?"

"Uh 10. Damn this sucks. You're gonna be in LA, too? So I could've finally seen one of your shows, but no, they have to be on the same night. That's so annoying, but I will come to one of your shows eventually."

"Mine starts at 10, too. Hopefully it won't run as long, I mean I don't know why it would. And you don't have to see my shows. They're nothing special about them. You've seen one dancing performance, you've seen them all, and you've seen me dance countless times." Chloe seemed off. Beca couldn't tell how exactly, but she could just feel it.

"Well yeah I've seen you dance a lot, but you've heard like every mix I've ever made and you still wanted to come to my gig. Why wouldn't I do the same for you? You're my best friend, Chloe Beale, I have to go see your shows! In fact, I am going to start making an effort from here on out. I promise you, I will make it to at least one show by month's end."

"There's not going to be any stopping you, is there? Well, we will discuss it more when we hang out tomorrow! Speaking of that, what are we actually doing?" As soon as she switched topics, Chloe seemed to go back to her chipper self.

"Uh well, I figured we could meet up for dinner at The Country Kitchen, then maybe hit a bar or two? We can see what's around there that interests you."

"The Country Kitchen. Why there?"

"I don't remember from who but I heard it was really good and cheap, two things that are very important to me." Beca laughed a little and Chloe followed.

"With the direction you're headed, cheap food will no longer be a necessity to you. You're gonna be making enough to buy your own damn restaurant."

"God that would be the best thing ever. I could have people cook whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it. Dammit, Beale, now you've made me hungry." Beca had a playfully angry expression on her face, not like Chloe could see it or anything, it just happened naturally. "I had finally been content with the amount of Chinese I had eaten, now I want more."

"That had nothing to do with me. I feel like you're constantly hungry, which I don't understand cause you're so tiny. And you don't even exercise. I've always been jealous of that."

"Are you kidding me? Your body is perfect. How the hell are you jealous of me? I'm a 'fairy', no that wasn't it… 'sprite'? Oh no it was 'troll'. Yeah, I'm a troll, remember? That's nothing to be jealous of." Beca was still bitter about those short jokes and she felt like she'd never let them go. In fact, Chloe rarely let them go. Chloe liked to tease Beca about her height, because she knew how much it riled up the shorter girl and she loved when Beca got like that.

"Oh yeah. Troll. I do remember that. Aw but you're a cute troll, if thats even a thing." It slipped and she couldn't help it. Chloe just called Beca cute and it wasn't even sarcastic or during their full on banter. Her breath hitched a bit when she realized she said it. She was terrified of what Beca was going to say.

"I don't think thats a real thing, but nice try." Beca heard the cute comment, but she was so used to Chloe being nice that she didn't think anything of it. "Alright, all this Chinese food is making me really tired. I'm gonna head to bed. I'll text you tomorrow for when we should meet."

"Night, Becs! Can't wait to see you tomorrow!" She was relieved that Beca didn't hang on her comment. Then she started to think about seeing Beca tomorrow and she got happy. She hung up the phone and then realized the problem. Beca had wanted to go to one of her shows. Chloe couldn't let that happen. So, instead of going right to bed, Chloe went for another late night run to try and think of ways to deter Beca from watching her.

Beca, however, went to bed pretty shortly after talking to Chloe. She cleaned up the rest of her Chinese food, saving the small amount of leftovers. She opened her fortune cookie, like she always did and read it. _If you're happy, you're successful._ Beca looked at the small piece of paper in her hands and smiled. She had always tried to tell herself that when she was performing at the low-end jobs. She would just try to be happy and she figured that would make her feel successful. Of course that was complete bull shit. She wasn't doing what she wanted to do, so why would she be happy? But she was on her way to success now, so she figured she could be happy and successful at the same time.

Beca fell asleep pretty quickly. She was just ready to get to tomorrow night when she'd finally get to see Chloe. That thought kinda raced through her mind for a little while. She was worried it wasn't going to go as well as she thought it was and that maybe it would be kind of awkward like it had been on the phone lately. She was also concerned that they wouldn't really have that much to talk about. Beca didn't really have much going on in her life that Chloe didn't already know, besides the new bisexuality discovery, but she didn't think Chloe needed to know that. After worrying for a few minutes, Beca silenced her brain and doubts by just thinking about how great it would be to see that smile and those bright blue eyes again. After thinking about that, she easily fell asleep.

At a little after noon, Beca woke up. She made her coffee, scrolled through social media, her usual "morning" routine. She then sent Chloe a text just saying hello, getting the conversation ready for their plans. She showered and then sat at the foot of her bed in her towel for a while. Chloe had texted her back while she was in the shower. _Hey, Becs! I'm super excited about today! :)_ Beca looked at the text and could read Chloe's happiness. She could picture the red head's face and bright smile as she read the exclamation points. She replied that she was excited, too and that she was planning on leaving at about 6ish, planning to get to the restaurant at about 7. _Yay! That sounds perfect! I'll see you then! :)_

She stood up from her bed after a good few minutes and then walked to the closet, still wrapped in her towel. Taking a shirt off the rack, she grimaced, which was surprising because that shirt was one of her favorites. Then she held up another shirt and put it in front of her torso to see what she'd look like in it. Again, she made a face of disapproval. _Why am I overthinking a damn outfit?_ For some reason, she felt like she had to look perfect for Chloe. She had to look perfect for the woman who has seen her in every possible outfit, good or bad, she'd even seen her without an outfit on. She figured maybe it had something to do with the fact that she hadn't seen Chloe in so long and maybe this time and distance had changed one or both of them. She wanted Chloe to see the Beca that she had always known, even though she felt like she hadn't really changed. After rummaging through her closet and dresser, she decided on a simple dark-colored flannel and gray skinny jeans. She left her hair to be naturally wavy and put on her makeup. After all that, it was pretty close to 3. To kill time, Beca decided to sit down and watch some reality TV.

After a few shitty hours of Property Brothers, Beca was ready to leave for Malibu. She picked up her phone to text Chloe to see if she was leaving, but she already had a text from her saying that she left a little bit ago. Somehow Beca hadn't felt the vibration and missed the text. Chloe lived farther away than Beca did, so she figured she'd still have enough time without being the late one, like she usually was.

Outside her apartment complex, Beca hailed a taxi. She gave the foreign man the address to the restaurant and then put her headphones in. Listening to a mix of Toxic by Britney Spears and Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, Beca started to daydream about how she thought the night would play out. She figured that once her and Chloe met up, Chloe would run and give her a huge, tight, and enthusiastic hug like she did all the time. Then they'd talk for a while over dinner. Letting her mind wander, Beca then started to picture her and Chloe walking along the beach at around sunset. It was pretty and romantic. When she felt herself start to smile at the idea, she quickly snapped back to reality. _Why the hell did I just picture that? That was like straight out of a Nicholas Sparks movie._ The thought kind of repulsed Beca. Even if she wanted to do something romantic with Chloe, which she didn't, a walk along the beach during sunset was way too cliche and cheesy. Afraid of having another weird daydream, Beca just decided to mindlessly play games on her phone until she arrived. After running out of lives on Candy Crush and TwoDots, Beca had arrived at the restaurant.

She walked up to the tiny storefront restaurant, a little taken aback. It was not at all the type of restaurant she had expected. It had a bright blue banner and four small picnic tables outside. It was in a spot where like a nail salon would typically be, not the usual spot for a restaurant. As she was going to grab the door, she heard a sharp shriek and turned around. She was pulled into exactly the hug she had expected. Chloe was bouncing up and down and squeezing Beca. She didn't realize it, but when Chloe pulled her into a hug, she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she immediately pulled out of the hug and looked at Chloe. "Why the fuck are you a blonde?"

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 **A/N** : Hopefully you guys liked it! We'll finally get to see Beca and Chloe interacting in person in the next chapter. Leave a review! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Okay so if you couldn't tell, I've been MIA for a while. I am so sorry, again. I know this is like the third time and I feel so bad. I am really like the least consistent writer ever and I hate it. I'm going to try and stay on it now, though. I finally have some more ideas about where I want this to go, so I can hopefully stay on it. Hope you guys enjoy. And like always, I'd appreciate some feedback!

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"Oh I guess you wouldn't have known. I died it as a part of my new job. Anyway!" Chloe was smiling brightly as she absent-mindedly ran her hands through her hair. She had forgotten that Beca didn't know about the hair change, and she was hoping she wouldn't really ask anymore questions about it.

"You had to dye your hair to be a dancer? I loved the red hair. Why the fuck would they make you change it?" Beca was looking all over Chloe's face with her eyebrows furrowed. She was trying to get used to the change, but it was just so drastic. However, with the new hair color, Chloe's bright blues sparkled even more, so was it really that bad? Beca started to notice that Chloe seemed sad about Beca's intense glare, so she decided to let it go, it's just hair anyway. "Nevermind it, actually. It suits you. Apparently blondes have more fun, we'll see if that rings true tonight, won't we?" Beca was smirking now.

"Oh trust me, Mitchell. Tonight will be a blast. How can it not? I haven't seen you in months. We are gonna get trashed, I've already decided." Chloe was brimming. She was so happy to be with her best friend again and happy that she had changed the subject away from her hair. Chloe grabbed the shorter girl's hand and led her into the sketchy restaurant.

Inside, it was very small. There were two booths and two high top tables in the dining area. In the back of the space was a counter that extended the whole length of the restaurant. Above it was the menu. Chloe and Beca stood there a moment trying to decide what they wanted, asking each other what sounded good. Chloe decided on a turkey and avocado sandwich and Beca went for a hot ham and salami sandwich. Once they ordered, the guy behind the counter told them their total and handed them a number.

"Oh actually we are going to pay separately." Beca said sort of shyly looking between the cashier and Chloe.

"No, we're not. I'll get it." Then Chloe handed the man a card and looked at Beca while smiling.

"Uh, you didn't have to do that. I could've gotten my own food." Beca was blushing slightly at the gesture, but she felt bad that Chloe had done that.

"Becs, I haven't seen you in a while and you just got a huge break. This is my way of saying I missed you and congrats." There was that bright-eyed smile again. Bec couldn't really stay focused on it anymore, so she just thanked her.

"I missed you, too." Chloe had been holding Beca's hand and she didn't even realize it until Chloe squeezed her hand when she said that.

Chloe led Beca to one of the picnic tables outside and put their number in the little stand on the table. She looked at Beca with a wide grin, neither of them saying anything for a minute or two. It wasn't uncomfortable, though, Beca thought. It wasn't like their lulls over the phone. Here, they could look at each other and take each other in without having to say anything. It was really good to see Chloe and she just wanted to look at her for a while, even though she is a blonde now.

"Have you talked to Emily?" Finally Chloe broke the silence, which Beca didn't mind. Even if they are talking, she can still look at Chloe and take her in.

"Yeah a little. She has Benji there helping her, so she's not as swamped as you made me believe."

"Aww I almost forgot about him. That makes me happy! I love them together." Chloe bounced a little in her seat and her eyes sparkled, Beca could've sworn.

Beca laughed a little. "Yeah they're pretty damn cute."

"Woah. Did Beca Mitchell just admit to a couple being cute?" She looked around dramatically. "I cant be the only one who heard that. Where are we? What just happened? I know, we are in the twilight zone." Chloe was taking this a little farther than she usually does when she's making fun of Beca.

"Ha-ha. You're so funny, Beale." Bec rolled her eyes, but she was still wearing a faint smile. "Everyone can agree that Emily and Benji are cute, that's an objective opinion. Plus, I was in a relationship for 4 years. I don't hate them, I just hate cheesy romance, you know that."

"Oh right. Just no PDA, no grand romantic gestures, no pet names, basically no relationshippy things, that's how you roll. I forgot."

And that was true, or at least had always been how Beca had felt. But here she was with Chloe, post-holding hands and missing it. They had shared a big hug and she didn't mind it. _Why is that?_ Beca thought. But tired of thinking about it, she just blinked a few times to clear her mind, like the blinking would erase the thoughts.

"Exactly. Anything that would come straight out of a John Hughes movie is a no-go for me." She hated the fact that she even knew enough about John Hughes and his movies to make the reference.

The two talked back and forth for a minute or two, then their food came. They maintained small talk throughout their meal, adding some snide comments in between bites. They reminisced about a few Bellas memories, talked about Jesse and his relationship to Beca now, and mostly about how much they missed each other and how nothing was the same since they moved apart.

Once they were done with their food, they stayed seated for a little bit to continue talking. They continued until close to 9 o'clock. When it started to get dark, they were kinda snapped out of their own world of just the two of them.

"Woah it's so much later than I thought it was!" Chloe said as she clicked her home button to check the time on her phone. "We better get our butts to a club soon, Mitchell." She then stood up and walked to Beca's side of the table and grabbed her arm to pull her up.

"Ugh. Do we have to?" Beca let her arm and upper body go limp to make it extra hard for Chloe to get her up. But Beca was smirking, so her posed displeasure was not as convincing as she had wanted.

"Yes you do. And you're going to get drunk and you're going to have fun."

"Hm. Guess I don't really get a say in the matter then?"

"Nope. I've decided it all. I also already found where we are going." Chloe took out her phone to double check the address.

"Oh really? How and when did you do that?" Beca was trying to sneak and a peek at Chloe's phone to see where they're going.

"Well I had to do my research before we came. I couldn't have us walking around aimlessly like we did in Copenhagen. So I went on Yelp and found this place that's just a ways up the street. However, it's a little too far to walk, so we can just drive there. It's about 10 minutes."

Beca was grinning, but shaking her head. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"Hey, I am just trying to be prepared." Chloe was smiling brightly at Beca and then she turned to head toward her car.

Beca followed her and then got into the passenger seat of Chloe's black Jetta upon instruction from the red head. Before Chloe put the car into drive, she rolled the windows down, queued up a playlist to play through her aux cord, and cranked the volume.

Beca just sat there and watched the whole ordeal. "Aren't we just going like 10 minutes up the road? Was all this really necessary?"

"Music is always necessary for a fun night, Beca. You of all people should know that." Chloe then started out of the parking lot singing and dancing along to Formation by Beyonce. Beca watched Chloe almost the whole ride there while doing a little singing along of her own, but Chloe's performances were just too great to look away from. She sat there and just couldn't stop thinking about how much she had missed her best friend and how glad she was that they were together now.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, we are going to get some drunk Beca and Chloe in the upcoming chapter, so prepare yourself. Hope you guys liked it. :) Leave some feedback please, I appreciate it all, positive and negative!


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